No One Likes Google Maps

There's a point we reach where it's not that we make a conscious choice to heal but that it happens on it's own. We can never tell a broken bone to mend or will a paper cut to close; that's impossible unless you're the kid that bent spoons from the Matrix. Our body just knows that it needs to happen, that we can't function as we were meant to with something holding us back.

The same thing can be said for the soul.

I'm always excited for Wednesdays because it's when my churches youth group meets. I have my group of 10th graders who are about to go to 11th grade (sad face), but I found out today that I get to follow them and become an 11th grade youth leader (best news ever!)(happy face). But, beyond my group of guys, I love hanging around with the senior guys and the other leaders that I have created friendships with. Wednesdays are just as exciting as Fridays.

This week, me and another leader started talking about walking our own path instead of walking God's path. We both talk about how much we love speaking and preaching God's word, so we sometimes get on the rant road and never really stop. This is what came out of it.

God can walk ahead of you or behind you, but regardless of where he ends up, you still have no control over where you're walking. Picture coming to a fork in the road with one of those wooden post signs. The sign tells you you need to go left, but your gps ( because your gps still works in places with wooden post signs ) says you need to go right. Now google maps aside, lets say you know that your GPS is correct, but you look to the wooden post and say, what if I should go left? Could my GPS (God's Perfect Sense) be wrong? Think about it! In the movies, people turn those wooden posts around all the time! I just picture an country farmer with gigantic bifocals that don't work, sticking this sign in the ground and trying to just have it point somewhere. Who knows where it's going to lead you, but you go anyway and you stick your GPS in your pocket, ignoring the lady voice saying "re-calculating! Make a U-Turn at creepy axe murderer house!"

Why did we walk that direction? Why did we make that decision? Why did we get distracted? Why did we stay in that relationship? Why did we walk back in the bar? Why did we let someone else convince us of what was important?

Because we are fearfully and wonderfully made to allow God to direct us regardless of our choices.

"This is the word that came down to Jeremiah from the Lord: Go down to the potters house, and there I will give you a message. So I went down to the potters house and I saw him working at the wheel. But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into another pot, shaping it to what seemed best to him. Then the word of the Lord came to me: Oh house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter does? Declares the Lord. Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel."- Jeremiah 18:1-6

There are two different path's we take when we are presented with this choice.

1. We choose what looks the best to us. What sounds better? Chick-fila or a salad? What sounds better? A plan or an opportunity? When we begin to walk on our own, God does not walk side by side with us. That would mean that He agreed with your choice. That would mean that your decision matched up with His will.

Only 4 people in the Bible were able to successfully argue with God.
- Abraham when he pleaded for Sodom (Genesis 18:16-32)
- Moses asking God to spare the Israelites after worshiping the Golden Calf ( Exodus 32:9-14 )

I know I only listed 2, but those are the most important to this subject.

When our decisions don't match up with God's and we follow something else, I picture God following close behind, a little disappointed, but focused like the potter who is trying to reshape His pottery. In essence, we are walking in the opposite direction of where He intended us to go, but because we are generally always wrong, He follows close behind like a father to his child, reshaping the path we have taken to come to the same outcome.

2: We choose the path He wants. When we spend time in His word, our relationship with Him only gets better. The important relationships in our lives become more visible and we edify others as they do the same for us. We less hold onto relationships that decrease in value and see the purpose behind the ones that are born of love. We hear His voice and accept His plan on blind faith alone and never out of fear.

One of my favorite songs from Caedmon's Call (the one I believe God used to get to move to Dallas) goes like this: "I've done the work, Sisyphus. Thinking that I could get over this hill. But the one thing I can't get over now is the force of your will."

Sisyphus was a King in Greek mythology who tricked his way out of Hell. After being caught in his act, Zeus punished him by making him roll a boulder up a hill for eternity, only to watch the boulder roll back down each time. I also think of Jonah when I think about how we think we can somehow sneak our way past God so we can get to where we think the grass is greener. Funny thing is, when we try to snatch ourselves from that hand, we just as quickly get thrown off the boat and get spit out on dry land.

"Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in the darkness and think, 'Who see's us?' 'Who will know?' You turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay! Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, 'He did not make.' Can the pot say to the potter, 'He knows nothing?'" - Isaiah 29:15-16

When we follow God's words and listen to where he wants us to go, God is no longer behind us, He walks in front of us, slowly marking the path to our destination. Wouldn't you prefer this to the 1st option. I remember as a kid when my parents were teaching me how to ride a bike, my Dad used to run behind me, holding the back of my bike seat as I peddled. I still trusted that my Dad was holding onto me, but eventually he would let go and as soon as I turned around and realized what had happened, I suddenly lost my balance and ate it on the sidewalk.

Same goes with where God is in our walk. He will either be in front or behind. Still molding the clay. I will tell you though from prior experience, that the view is so much better when the Savior has the map then when we try and blaze our own trails. The places he can show us are so much more breath-taking and fulfilling than any itinerary we can put together for the next ten years. Remember that. Get in the word and talk with your Father and watch as His plan comes to life. Experience the joy that can only come when we draw close to Jesus.

As it says in Proverbs: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understand. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path's straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Thanks for reading and God bless!

Grayson

The Calling Post #2

"What a graceful return" said the man in a car with no air conditioning with 20 minutes until his upcoming flight back to Texas was to be departing. God was gracious to open the 7 lanes of traffic in the suburbs of Los Angeles for just a few hours for me to take a back and a forth to retrieve the one thing that would keep me from boarding the plane....my brand new Los Angeles tank top!

Just kidding, it was my wallet, but i'm still pretty stoked about the tank top.

Funny enough, the day of my departure from the sunny shores of California was the hardest of the trip. Well I take that back and before I explain..I feel that I need that God needs to be the one to lead this post. So please bare with me.

Dear Lord Father,

Thank you so much for giving me the courage and allowing me to suck it up and take a memorable journey that I will tell my future kids about whenever they wonder about taking a risk to do what you have called them to do. Thank you for the calling and speaking in a way that I could understand and thank you for putting people in my path along the way that gave me a roof to sleep under and a church to attend and fellowship and love that I can truly never repay. You are the mover of us and I cannot tell you how excited I am to see where this takes me. Please give me the passion to pray for more that whether I end up in California for this season or if this was just a warm-up for something bigger, I just want to stay in contact with you Father so I can follow you wherever you go. Thank you again for this life and for all the blessings you have shown through this time of uncertainty and showing me again what it means to trust in ALL aspects of my life. In your name I pray, Amen!

Thank you for indulging my bloggers prayer, ya'll. Anyways, here I go. If you haven't read the 1st chapter of this series, let me fill in a few of the blanks for you. A week ago, I bought a plane ticket on a whim to Los Angeles. I didn't know what to expect, all I know is and I am not exaggerating or throwing out some non-sensical superstition that you've seen from the movie "Saved". Trust me, I AM FULL OF CHRIST's LOVE! Quote from the movie FYI.

Anyways, since I have completely wasted the momentum I started for God's amazing work, let me start a new paragraph. God had recently prepared me for this journey with 3 words to my soul: "Are you ready?" Just those 3 words. I had no idea what it could mean, except that I knew something big was about to happen. Since that moment I had begun to feel a pull to California. So I went. Of course, it wasn't as simple as that. I definitely did some pacing and "logical" thinking, and by logical, I mean cynical thinking. How can I do this? This is crazy? What am I even going to accomplish from all this? If you know me at all, you know that as spontaneous as I can be, leaving in Texas has never been on the top of my to do list. I've been out of state and out of the country before and those were great experiences. I definitely still fantasize about taking a trip out to Ireland and living there planting a church for a few months, but I never thought I would actually think about moving out of the Lone Star State. The toughest thing for me at that moment was pressing that little "book flight" button at the bottom of the expedia.com page.

Sure I still had 24 hours to get a full refund, but I forgot all about that after the epic victory dance that ensued after the completed booking. Woot!

Now onto the actual trip! I will admit that the 1st couple of days I spent on the beach and seeing some of the coast. Two words: Blown away. I got to spend some quality bro time with my boy, Mike (AKA Sal), do some climbing and eat some pretty expensive food. Do not be fooled by the outside of California shanty eateries. Once you enter said shack and they lead you to an elevator to a private upstairs area...Run! Regardless, I got a lot of one on one time with God specifically in the 2 books of Peter


"Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”


What justification! What joy it was!


For the rest of week, I spent a lot of time in a Starbucks, applying for jobs and just making sure that I couldn't find anything that I could say was not a game breaker for this exodus. Besides the traffic, all I found was pro's. For a second, lets look beyond the city life, the mountainous terrain that eerily looks like El Paso and the beautiful beaches. Best Crepes ever! Homeless people have couches! You can set up a tent wherever you want! I know where to avoid, unlike Dallas where most of the You Will Get Shot area's are all muddled together ( cassie, I will not go to compton ) and street musicians. But, most of all, the 1st church I went to had some serious potential.


There is a revival coming there. Are you ready?


Now that i'm back, there is still some confusion in my heart over a few things. God will definitely be closing some doors or keeping them open and I am just trying to prepare my heart for how this is going to go and oddly enough, i'm okay with it. I know this isn't going to be easy, but I feel like God has set some priorities back into place in only a way that I could understand. He knows my heart and He knows what I need and as Joshua says


"Do not be terrified. Do not be dismayed. For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."


Lord God, I just pray for anyone who is reading this who is questioning their path or is wondering why you are being silent to their walk. I just ask that your voice be heard in the way they can understand and that you just give them the ears to listen to your word and can see that everything you do is for our good and for your glory and edification. That it is to strengthen us through perseverance and patience to see your love and so we can magnify that love to others. Let it be that we can say that we fought the good fight of faith and that we trusted in you to trust in you with all our hearts and not lean on our own feeble understand. Because, when have our plans ever worked out? If anything Abba, give us all the peace to wait on you and be good obediant children. In your name we pray, Amen!


God Bless, ya'll!

The Calling Post #1

Everything begins with movement, with a first step and as I begin to let my mind wander from synapse to page, I have to say that I need to re-think this statement.

Everything does not begin with movement. It begins with a voice. A calling.

Let me explain what has been happening these past couple weeks. I have been working for a home services company for the past couple years. All of a sudden after many wonderful relationships and memories, my company decided to move back to the beautiful shores of California. We had a choice. I had a choice. We could either move to California with the company or we could choose to search for other opportunities.

At the time, I was overcome by fear of the very aspect of moving away from my mother-land of Texas. On top of the sheer timidity of the idea, I did not feel comfortable with what was being given to me or how the timing felt for this change. Long story short, my timing did not match up with God's.

So what has happened since then? I am sitting in a Starbucks in a suburb in Los Angeles, drinking my usual green tea and asking God what in the world am I doing here?! Let's rewind just a little bit more.

After I said no to the first offer to California, a door was opened elsewhere back in California. I was sitting around my apartment complex when I heard a voice. Yes, a voice. Not an audible voice that sounded like Morgan Freeman, but a voice deep within that asked, "Are you ready?". At first I did not know what this meant, but "You've been waiting for something to happen, and now it's happening." "Are you ready?" To make things even more amazing, I didn't even have to answer. My soul answered back and it said, "I have been working and letting you sharpen and mold me for a time and now i'm ready to move with you."

Over time, God revealed that he wanted me back in California. For what reason i'm not sure or where I will end up, i'm not certain, but God knows exactly where i'm meant to end up. I could not fathom in my wildest dreams that I would decide one afternoon to buy a next day plane ticket to Los Angeles on a calling, but here I am. You have sent me. I look out at the beautiful landscapes and the waves that crash against the beach and I think about the song from Addison Road that goes:

"What do I know of you, who spoke me into motion? Where have I even stood but the shore along your ocean? Are you fire, are you fury? Are you sacred, are you beautiful? What do I know of Holy?"

I don't know much about this God that told me to move and I know even less about the depths of His mercy or His grace. I don't know the extent of how He will change me or perfect me through all of this, but in the end, it's all about unearthing why He does what He does and trusting that everything is being done for my good for all of those who are called according to His purpose. To be honest, this is terrifying. I don't know what i'm doing here or what's going to happen. This is completely outside of my character and when I look back at when I had to have my mom sign my lease for me to get me to stay on campus, how could I ever end up here? How could I even consider going miles and miles across the country?

Since i've been here, i've seen the beach and the mountains. I've seen the city and the hills and i've felt at home. So, as I sit in this Starbucks, I ask that God reminds me that Fear is not of Him and that there can't be any timidity within me.

"For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." - 2 Timothy 2:7 

I pray that if God calls you to a mission or to a place that you remain strong and courageous with Him so you may look past the haze of fear that the enemy tries to put in front of your eyes. Do not be timid, but see the adventure and look forward to the amazing things that your father has for you. I'm going to try and make a series out of this to let you know exactly what is happening in this calling. If you have anything that you feel you are being called to, please leave a comment so I may pray for you. 

Thanks for reading! 

Grayson

Living in Hope and the Perfect Parking Spot

When was the last time you broke down? What? Did I just ask that? How can I ask you for such information. Maybe because most of us post our most intimate details on Facebook, but then when I ask the same question face to face in a coffee shop, the floodgates drop! It's pretty easy to receive this question when you're looking at your laptop screen, but it won't hurt my feelings if I don't see any stories in my comment box. It's not an easy question to give an open answer to. Most of us would rather not talk about when we were most vulnerable. Who wants to reveal our ""weakness""?
       "Did you see the double apostrophe there? I wanted you to visualize me doing very obvious apostrophe fingers".

I was driving around with some family one Saturday and we were talking about what has been going on with my life. A lot of revolved around usual small talk and the obvious questions you usually ask someone you haven't seen for a couple weeks, until we came to one specific topic. This conversation had a lot of questions that went along with it.

How is that going now?
Where have you been looking?
Has anyone called you back?
What do you want to do?
When are you going to get a girlfriend? (okay, this question I made up, but the question has started to come up more often now that my get married at 27 timeline has long expired, whoops!)

I didn't have an answer for a lot of these questions. Which is where the breakdown occurred. Wait, let me back up. There was one more thing that happened just after the question firing squad. My mom turned to me and said "Everything will work out". To that I responded "I Hope so." It was just after this that as I walked back to my apartment, walking through the outdoor hallways towards my mailbox that I..broke..down.

"Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long" Psalm 25:5

The Bible makes a beautiful translation for the word hope and i'm just going to go ahead and give the two that we most hear about- the Greek and the Hebrew

Greek- the expectation of what is SURE
Hebrew- to lie in wait for, or to BIND

I really do love these expressions of hope because they reach so much deeper than what I think the world see's the inward and outward expression of hope. A lot of times I will hear people say, "Man I hope I get that new job" or "I hope that I get a good parking spot at the grocery store" or even "I hope that that guy at the club calls me".
   (With the last one, ladies. there are many reasons why he won't call you, but don't take it personally. You're beautiful.)

But I think that hope is a term that we use when the circumstances in our life are going well and even if a few little things don't go the way we "hope" they would go, it is only when those circumstances start crashing down and the things we really hope for pass us by, that incredible gift just..vanishes.

Of course this happens to the best of us, right? That moment when all uncertainty, the shadow of doubt just crashes on us and the feeling of hopelessness when thousands of question marks just overflow our hearts. If Jesus has made a home in our heart, do you think He is welcoming the enemy in for coffee every now and again? The realization is there that there is a difference between having hope and living with hope. Just saying you have hope in any given hope is fleeting and melts away from the moment the words leave your mouth.

Having hope- is an optimistic notion
                     is accepting that the worst can happen
                     is giving doubt a voice
                     is letting that doubt tell you that the worst is bound to happen

Living in hope- is a faithful notion
                    is accepting Jesus will help you overcome the worst
                    is silencing the voice of doubt
                    and is an eternal outlook that Binds us to the love of God and
                    is an expectation of God's promises to bless us and mold us for our better.

"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have Hope" Romans 15:4

and

"May the God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace as you trust in Him, so that you may OVERFLOW with Hope by the power of the Holy Spirit" Romans 15:13 

and finally

 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the Hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his Holy people." Ephesians 1:18 


So guess what? I am now proud to announce that I am now in a serious relationship. Just kidding. :-) I am still on the look out in that department. But I will say that God gave me a big "Are you kidding me" on the patio of my apartment that day. It was as clear as day too. He asked me flat out, "When have I ever not been there for you?" "When have I not been for you?" The simple truth is, is that when we lose hope, it is not because of an inconsistent track record. If we were keeping score with God, he would already be millions of points ahead of us, solely on sacrifice alone.

We should walk up hope because we have a merciful God that SURE of how he created us. We should have hope because we have a loving God who lying in waiting to join Him in eternity. And finally, we have a God that is expecting to help us overcome the good and the bad, the voice of doubt in our ears and in love bound himself to our eternity through his Son. Do you think you have every reason to hope now? And it's not so much the things we see that we can hope for, but we live hope that no matter what the circumstance, we are being taken care of. We are being nurtured and grown to a beautiful image of completion.

I pray that the eyes of your heart will be opened so that you may have hope. That you may have hope in the purpose God has for you and that that purpose is for no better word, Glorious.

I hope you all have a great Friday and weekend and please, I encourage you to comment on any praises or prayer requests you may have, whether this is an unsure part of your life or if God has shed some light on where you're going. Thank you so much for taking the time to read along and I hope to hear from you all soon.

Grayson

Where to?

So...with Valentines Day just around the corner, I want to talk about anything BUT Valentines Day. I'm single. Do you think anyone wants to hear about how much money I am not spending this Friday. I'm just kidding ya know. I am guilty just as much as the next person of showering my significant other with love and generosity a little more than usual on this day, but as God has so eloquently told me, I am not ready for the love of my life yet. I am NOT ready for a relationship other than the relationship that I have with Him. He tells me, focus on the work I am doing in you first. Talk to me and lean on me and then maybe we will talk about adding a #3.

I'll be up front and honest, for a few months I was constantly asking God, where is she? I wonder if any of us have ever caught ourselves asking God when He is going to bless us. When are you going to give me what I so deserve? Did you see how I paid for my friends lunch the other day? Did you see how much I raised my hands in church last Sunday?

When did we ever deserve anything at all from God?

I am actually writing this entire post on the fly so Praise God for letting my words flow without hesitation.

"The Lord looks down from Heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Pretty bleak huh? But let me show you what happens next

"Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the Lord RESTORES his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad" - Psalm 14:2-3 and Psalm 14:7.

Over this long period of time, I went through three stages of prayer.

1. Wants

I noticed that a lot of my prayers sounded like a letter I would write to Santa Clause. It started as you would expect with a "Dear God" and then went down the list of things I was having trouble with, what I wanted out of my life and asking God to fulfill those things in my life. During this whole wish list process, we forget that God already has given or plans to give the gifts that we need to give the most glory to Him. To give the most to our part of the Body of Christ. Whether it has been already given (spiritual gifts) or is yet to be given (blessings), God gives even though we will never deserve it and he will bless us when he are most reliant on His grace.

2. Ill-Deserving

The next stage is when we have the realization that we do not deserve anything that we are asking for from God. I was sitting on my couch in mid-prayer a few months ago when something inside me just told me to stop talking. It wasn't like He was asking me to stop asking, but it was just a request to be quiet. Just be still and know that I am God. I was missing the point. If I was ever able to deserve the gifts God has already given me, love would have a price tag. It wouldn't be real. I remember sitting there in my living room. It was a warm feeling that told me that I would always be taken care of, but not by my own request. God calls our name first, not the other way around and as he molds us and shapes us, the clay does not second guess the creator. The pot does not wonder why He was being made in such a way.


3. Peace

I went back to my old job this week after being in a different department for close to a year. I won't go into the details but if I could sum up what has been going on at my office the past couple days, it would be "Total Utter Disaster." People were being laid off left and right or leaving for other opportunities and me and a select few were being allowed to stay to walk over the mess.

I want to take a moment to put a focus on the tangible presence of God. Some of you who are reading this may be thinking that prayer is mostly a gamble or maybe it's nothing at all. I am just some illogical spiritualist who spends his time talking to the wall. To be honest, I hope you're reading this, because there would be greater joy for me than for you to have an encounter with God. It would be my greatest joy for you to feel His love in a tangible way that you would feel a peace that engulfs you and no matter what is happening, no matter how unsure you are about what is coming in the next week, next month or next twenty years that you know that you are renewed and cared for. I don't know what is going to happen in the next few months. All I know is that I am loved by my Father who gives without expectation and will walk with me through all toils and snares.

Trust in the Lord. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and please...do not lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge that He listens and that He gives and that strengthens and restores and I promise you that He will take your path, no matter how much it knocks you down or discourages you, hold tight to the promise that He will keep those paths straight.

I hope ya'll are having a blessed Monday and that this week will be a blessed on. Stay Dry Dallas

First Steps

   

      I think at least in my own imaginative mind, I have not taken the time to open my eyes to the visuals of the Bible. My reasons for it are pretty simple. It's a history book some days and other days it's a love story, an thriller, a horror movie, a grand mix of shock and awe and abounding Glory. But, on those days that I have to shake myself out of reading it like a college textbook I catch myself missing these incredible landscapes of scenes of Jesus' life and the miraculous acts of divinity that make not just the Gospels, but the entire text the greatest literary creation of our existence.

     You must be wondering where this is going. Good question. I am not sure exactly where this will be going either. I began a blog like this a couple years ago when I was living in San Marcos and attending Crosswalk Christian Church under Pastor Pete Santos, but since then, I have moved back to Dallas where I started a new job and a new chapter of my life. So, let me enlighten you on where I am currently in my molding and where this "Walking On Ice Is A Good Start" blog is going.

    I have been living in Dallas since the 4th of July of 2012 and I have been working for an Internet Marketing firm in the Plano area. I moved away from a wonderful church, a group of great friends, I was growing in my faith and seeing people changed by the Holy Spirit and I was having audible and visual conversations with God. Why would I want to leave? Another good question. I still have times when I wonder if it was such a good idea to come back home to Dallas. At this moment, I am listening to the very song that I believe God wanted me to hear a week after I was offered employment back in Dallas: "Where I Began" by Caedmon's Call.


The Lyrics go like this-
The grass looked greener on the other side So I tried to, 
snatch myself from your hand Caught a boat to anywhere but Nineveh
And, well you know, I got spit back on dry land.

Here I am again, back where I began
Try as I may I can't get away from you
And all of these roads lead me to roam,
Bring me back home.
Here I am again, back where I began.

      Referring to the Book of Jonah, at the time I felt God saying that a life in Him was anything but easy and fancy free. If I was happy and content, I probably was not living a life that was glorifying to Him. Not saying, that God doesn't want us to be happy, but He also wants us encountering our struggles, sharpening us and walking out on the crashing waves. If God meant for us to just sit out on the beach, then what purpose would faith serve that we would be saved?

     God desires us to jump into the boat, to climb the mountain, to explore the unknown to hear his voice. So where am I?

     When I got to Dallas, it took me close to a year to find the Holy Spirit as thick and tangible as it was at Gateway Church. Now, i'm not saying that it took me a year to find a church I liked. If I was looking for a church I liked, then it would've taken me an eternity to find what I was looking for #problemswithbeingpicky. Trouble was, I wasn't looking for the right things. I was making mistakes along the way from the day I moved back to Dallas to when I was sitting in the pew of the twentieth church I had visited. I had wandered away from the God that I had grown to know so well. When I walked into Gateway Church the difference wasn't the worship, the sermons or the congregation, the difference was the Spirit. I could feel it again. I could raise my hands and touch it. Now, after a year of wandering, I have found my feet, walking right next to His.


Now if you want to turn to the Gospel of Matthew in Chapter 14, verse 22-23:


      “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said.Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

     If you can close your eyes and just imagine the sight. If you also look in the Gospel of Luke in Chapter 4 verse 37, the scene is described in a little more detail.

    "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boar, so that it was nearly swamped." This verse does not depict the same scene of Jesus walking on water, but I am just referencing it so you have an idea what kind of weather was seen from the Sea of Galilee. The Sea of Galilee is only 200 feet deep and because it is so shallow, the wind can whip up the water more rapidly than deep water. Jesus was not walking out on some shallow pond that had a few ripples in it. I think not!

    This may be an over-exaggeration, but if you have ever seen, the movie, The Perfect Storm, I try and imagine Jesus walking over those monstrous waves. Now here is the miraculous part of it. Jesus is not the first one to invite the disciples into the water. Peter calls out to Jesus and asks Him to let him come out on the water. Jesus agrees and says "Come". We all want to come out to meet with Jesus before we know what to expect from the walk. Although we know that if we can keep our eyes on Jesus, we can succeed, but if we are overcome by fear, we will fall. Now why would anyone want to attempt something like this? Why would we ever want to climb the mountain or to swim the current in search of Jesus?


t is so if we begin to sink. If we so happen to fall in search for Jesus, He will be there to take our hands.


    My walk with God has not been an easy one so far. After a year of searching, I still feel like I have not found my footing on the crashing waves, but am walking on solid ice as it begins to crack. I have been re-introduced to Jesus and with every new step, another crack appears and I am one step closer to walking on waves with the one who allowed me to leave the boat.